31. Human illnesses can be divided into two types:
a) When the meridians are generally clear but there is insufficient qi. This manifests as frequent localized pains, because the qi is inadequate to transform food properly, resulting in internal heat (also known as deficiency heat). As the meridians run disorderly through the body, wherever there is blockage, there is pain. Such individuals often experience immediate relief upon taking medication.
b) When the meridians are obstructed, qi has no place to reside. Externally, there may be no visible issues, but once detected, it often leads to serious illness. Moreover, such individuals frequently find medications to be slow in effectiveness or entirely ineffective.
The primary cause is termed “ji.” Just as an arrow on a string must be triggered to be released, everything else is similar; there is a mechanism, and only by triggering this mechanism can events occur. This mechanism is such a crucial factor in the occurrence, development, and changes of diseases (it can also be said that when the mechanism of illness is activated, symptoms manifest, and people enter a vicious cycle of “illness”. Conversely, the opposite of illness is “vitality”. When vitality is activated, people enter a virtuous cycle of recovery. In reality, illness and vitality are two aspects of the same thing, a pair of yin and yang. When illness is activated, vitality is deactivated, and when vitality is activated, illness naturally begins to diminish. This is dialectics).
32. The highest realm of traditional Chinese medicine is health preservation, and the highest realm of health preservation is nurturing the heart. Therefore, concerning health preservation, ordinary people nurture the body, the middle class nurture qi, and the upper class nurture the heart. Similarly, observing a person, it is better to observe their qi than their appearance, and better to observe their heart than their qi.
33. An unsettled mind and impulsive emotions are the ultimate causes of illness and death. Therefore, the method to calm the mind is the first principle of health. The mind can control everything. When the mind is settled, qi harmonizes; when qi harmonizes, blood flows smoothly; with smooth blood flow, essence is abundant and spirit is vigorous. Those with abundant essence and vigorous spirit have strong internal resistance, and diseases naturally subside. Therefore, treating illness should primarily focus on calming the mind.
34. Wind, cold, yin, yang, heat, and dampness—all can cause illness. If resistance is weak, they can exploit vulnerabilities. Those with weak bodies are prone to illness; this is the principle.
Rich people have protective capabilities, such as clothing, food, and shelter. Poor people have resistance capabilities, such as abundant qi, vigorous spirit, dense pores, and resistance to invasion. Rich people often indulge, causing frustration, while poor people work hard and have fewer diseases. Rich people do not create blessings and only enjoy blessings, resulting in consumption of blessings until they are impoverished. Poor people can be diligent and frugal, creating blessings, and eventually becoming wealthy.
The defensive strength of clothing, food, and shelter in the realm of essence, energy, and spirit is weak, and the defensive strength is strong.
35. When a serious illness first heals, avoid cutting hair, washing feet, and bathing.
36. Therefore, to seek longevity without illness, often strengthen the body. To strengthen the body, it is necessary to control the essence, energy, and spirit. To control the essence, energy, and spirit, it is necessary to refuse the interference of thieves. To stop these thieves, you must first take care of your heart. To care for the heart, you must transform the three poisons of greed, anger, and ignorance. To transform these three poisons, you must learn the discipline of the heart. But empty talk about discipline is useless; you must seek wisdom to avoid foolishness. To seek wisdom, you must first seek tranquility. To achieve tranquility, you must learn to meditate.
37. If you can be quiet, you will be kind, and if you have kindness, you will have longevity, which is true happiness.
38. All the doors of self-cultivation and self-improvement are only two words of wisdom: put down and turn around. Put down the butcher’s knife and become a Buddha on the spot; the sea of bitterness has no end, and turning back is the shore. As long as you let go and turn around, the patient will recover instantly, and the confused will awaken suddenly. This is true boundless life.
39. People with overworked hearts, whose hearts are tired, their liver is vigorous. Overworked heart means the heart is too full, not empty. A full heart cannot accept the liver’s fire, so the liver’s qi must accumulate and flourish.
The liver wood controls the earth, and the spleen and stomach suffer from diseases, digestion is poor, nutrition is inadequate, and night sleep is unstable. The earth also controls the water, so the kidney water is severely deficient, and insufficient water makes the fire more prosperous, and the heart and kidney are connected, the heart qi is weaker, and the lung disease is inevitable. Internally interconnected, one move is all moved, one disease is all diseases. The disturbance is in the deluded heart, so treating the disease is to calm the heart, calm the heart to stop delusions, stop delusions to clarify the mind, clarify the mind to be self-aware, and the healthy effect is in the stillness.
40. Meditation is a method of calming the mind, and when the mind is calm, the spirit is peaceful, the spirit is peaceful, the qi is abundant, the blood is prosperous, the blood and qi are smooth, then diseases can be eliminated, deficiencies can be replenished, and sufficiency can be increased. Now diseases can be removed, future diseases can be prevented, which is the minor. Moreover, when the mind is calm, the spirit is clear, the spirit is clear, the machine is flexible, and the quiet heart is flexible.